CN101612836A - Printers and Printing Systems - Google Patents

Abstract

A printing system and a printer used in the printing system, acquiring from the printer data related to how much ink or other recording material is used, individually managing ink tanks or Other recording material cartridges. The printer 240 counts the amount of ink used only for printing as the number of ink beads ejected, and transmits the number of ink beads to the server 220 together with the printer serial number and the ink tank ID. The server 220 stores ink bead count, printer serial number, ink tank ID, and error correction code as status information. The server 220 or a server upstream of the server 220 can reliably determine the number of ink beads used by the printer 240 only for printing based on the state information.

Description

Printers and Printing Systems

This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application 200610137457.2 submitted on October 25, 2006, and therefore claims the priority of the following earlier application:

Japanese patent application 2005-316284 filed on October 31, 2005;

Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-363318 filed on December 16, 2005.

technical field

The present invention relates generally to printers and printing systems, and more particularly, to printers and printing systems that use ink cartridges that store ink, toner, or other recording materials.

Background technique

Printers such as inkjet printers and laser printers typically print text, images, or other content on plain paper, specialty paper, or other recording media by placing or melting a recording material such as ink or toner on the recording medium . Ink or toner is usually stored in cartridges that can be freely installed and removed from the printer. When the ink or toner in the ink cartridge runs out while using the printer, you can add ink or toner by replacing only the ink cartridge.

Printer manufacturers also typically provide end users with ink or toner cartridges for use in their printers, and therefore often sell cartridges filled with ink or toner.

Recently, manufacturers have developed new charging systems (printing systems) for charging printer users based on the amount of ink or toner consumed instead of individually sold ink cartridges.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-309147 teaches a billing system in which a printer stores consumption information on consumables (such as how toner is consumed and how much paper is used) for each user ID. When requested, the printer sends the consumption information to the data processing terminal, and the data processing terminal calculates the printer usage fee according to a predetermined formula according to the consumption information.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-90517 teaches an inkjet printer having a charging information management unit for managing the amount of ink used. The billing information management unit calculates ink consumption according to the size and quantity of ink droplets ejected by the print head.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2002-36582 discloses a billing system in which an inkjet printer uses a photo sensor to measure how much ink remains in an ink tank and calculates the amount of ink used based on how much ink remains. The data processing device connected to the inkjet printer acquires data related to how much ink is used (hereinafter simply referred to as "ink usage") from the inkjet printer, and sends the data related to the ink usage to the server of the service center through the network. Then, the charging module running on the server of the service center consults the ink charging table, calculates the charging amount according to the ink consumption, and charges the user.

However, when these charging systems are actually installed and used, the following problems arise.

The above billing system usually manages multiple printers and multiple ink cartridges of multiple users, so a system capable of identifying each printer and each ink cartridge to obtain ink usage information is required.

However, in transactions in which the charging system is actually used, the charging system operator (the party providing the printer or the ink cartridge) and the actual printer user are often in different positions. In the case of inkjet printers, this necessitates a system in which the user is charged only for the ink actually consumed from the particular ink cartridge provided to the user by the operator.

In order to reliably obtain ink usage data from users at remote locations, the reliability of data retrieval from printers must also be improved, for example, by preventing errors in transmitted data.

In the operation of the billing system, the operator of the billing system must know how to use the ink tank at the remote location where the user is located, promptly recycle the depleted ink tank, and keep providing the user with a new ink tank filled with ink. Therefore, system operators must reliably store accurate information regarding which ink tanks are depleted and which ink tanks are newly installed in the printer.

A server located at the service center and processing the calculations may be used to receive and store ink tank data received from the printer. However, if the server of the service center loses the ink tank data for some reason, the operator cannot acquire the data of the ink tank used by the user. Furthermore, since the operator cannot know when a depleted ink tank should be collected if the ink tank data cannot be acquired from the printer, it is not possible to provide the user with a filled ink tank when needed. This obviously causes problems with transactions.

Contents of the invention

A printer and a printing system according to an aspect of the present invention independently manage a plurality of ink cartridges, and in a printer system that acquires data related to usage of recording materials such as ink from the printer, maintains ink tank data acquired from the printer reliability.

Printers and printing systems according to another aspect of the present invention are capable of operating the printing system without the need to load cartridge information.

(1) A first aspect of the present invention is a printer communicably connected to a data processing device for recording an image in accordance with a command received from the data processing device, the printer comprising:

a data storage unit for storing information;

an ink cartridge installation unit for installing an ink cartridge storing recording material;

an ink cartridge control unit, configured to read the ink cartridge identification number from a storage device located in the ink cartridge, and store the ink cartridge identification number in the data storage unit;

a transmission data generation unit configured to generate status information, the status information including the ink cartridge identification number stored in the data storage unit; and

The sending unit is used to send the state information to the data processing device.

(2) A second aspect of the present invention is a printer according to the first aspect of the present invention, further comprising:

a data storage unit for storing a device identification number identifying the printer;

a recording material usage calculation unit for calculating how much recording material is used only for image recording and storing it in the data storage unit; and

The transmission data generation unit generates status information including the ink cartridge identification number, the device identification number stored in the data storage unit, and the amount of recording material used for image recording.

(3) A third aspect of the present invention is the printer according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein, when the ink cartridge is installed in the ink cartridge installation unit, the ink cartridge control unit reads the ink cartridge identification number, and stores the ink cartridge identification number in data storage unit, as a newly installed cartridge.

(4) A fourth aspect of the present invention is the printer according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein the ink cartridge control unit reads the ink cartridge identification when the amount of recording material in the ink cartridge is lower than or equal to a predetermined level number, and record the cartridge identification number as the cartridge that has run out of recording material.

(5) A fifth aspect of the present invention is the printer according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, wherein, when the sending unit sends the status information to the data processing device, the ink cartridge control unit keeps storing in the data storage unit The identification number of the sent ink cartridge is set to indicate that the sending state of the ink cartridge identified by the sent ink cartridge identification number has been sent, and the sending state is stored in the data storage unit.

(6) A sixth aspect of the present invention is the printer according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein the ink cartridge control unit deletes from the data storage unit the ink cartridge identification number of the ink cartridge whose sending status is set to indicate that it has been sent, and replaces the newly installed The ink cartridge identification number of the ink cartridge is stored to the data storage unit.

(7) A seventh aspect of the present invention is the printer according to the fifth or sixth aspect of the present invention, wherein, for the ink cartridge identification number, a storage capacity limit is set in the data storage unit, and

If when storing the ink cartridge identification number, the ink cartridge identification number is stored up to the storage capacity limit and all sending status flags are not set to indicate sent, the ink cartridge control unit executes an error handling process.

(8) An eighth aspect of the present invention is the printer according to any one of the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, wherein:

The cartridge stores a variety of recording materials; and

The recording material usage amount calculation unit performs calculation for each of the plurality of recording materials, and stores the recording material amount used only for image recording in the data storage unit.

(9) A ninth aspect of the present invention is the printer according to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, wherein:

the recording material is ink; and

The recording material usage amount calculating unit determines the amount of ink used by counting the number of ejected ink beads.

(10) A tenth aspect of the present invention is the printer according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, wherein the recording material usage amount calculation unit does not use an ink amount for enabling the print head to eject ink as part of the ink usage amount.

(11) The eleventh aspect of the present invention is a printing system, comprising:

data processing means; and

A printer communicatively connected to the data processing means for recording images in accordance with commands received from the data processing means, the printer comprising:

a data storage unit for storing information;

an ink cartridge installation unit for installing an ink cartridge storing recording material;

an ink cartridge control unit, configured to read the ink cartridge identification number from a storage device located in the ink cartridge, and store the ink cartridge identification number in the data storage unit;

a transmission data generation unit configured to generate status information, the status information including the ink cartridge identification number stored in the data storage unit; and

The sending unit is used to send the state information to the data processing device.

(12) A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in the eleventh aspect of the present invention, wherein the printer further includes:

a data storage unit for storing a device identification number identifying the printer;

a recording material usage calculation unit for calculating how much recording material is used only for image recording and storing it in the data storage unit; and

The transmission data generation unit generates status information including the ink cartridge identification number, the device identification number stored in the data storage unit, and the amount of recording material used for image recording.

(13) A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in the eleventh or twelfth aspect of the present invention, wherein the data processing device includes a status acquisition unit for requesting the printer to send status information and receiving status information.

(14) A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, wherein the status acquisition unit adds an error correction code for maintaining data reliability to the status information.

(15) A fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in any one of the eleventh to fourteenth aspects of the present invention, wherein:

When the terminal device is connected to the data processing device through the network and the data processing device sends status information to the terminal device,

The terminal device calculates the recording material usage fee based on this state information.

(16) A sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in the eleventh aspect of the present invention, wherein the data processing device includes a recording material usage amount acquisition unit for requesting how much recording material the printer has used, and Get how much recorded material was used.

(17) A seventeenth aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in any one of the eleventh to sixteenth aspects of the present invention, wherein, when the ink cartridge is installed in the ink cartridge installation unit, the ink cartridge control unit reads The ink cartridge identification number is stored in the data storage unit as a newly installed ink cartridge.

(18) An eighteenth aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in any one of the eleventh to seventeenth aspects of the present invention, wherein, when the amount of recording material in the ink cartridge is lower than or equal to a predetermined level, The ink cartridge control unit reads the ink cartridge identification number, and records the ink cartridge identification number as the ink cartridge that has run out of recording material.

(19) A nineteenth aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in any one of the eleventh to eighteenth aspects of the present invention, wherein when the sending unit sends status information to the data processing device, the ink cartridge control unit retains The identification number stored in the data storage unit sets the sending status of the ink cartridge identified by the sent ink cartridge identification number to indicate that it has been sent, and stores the sending status in the data storage unit.

(20) A twentieth aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, wherein the ink cartridge control unit deletes the ink cartridge identification number of the ink cartridge indicating that the sent state is set from the data storage unit, And store the ink cartridge identification number of the newly installed ink cartridge in the data storage unit.

(21) A twenty-first aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in the nineteenth or twentieth aspect of the present invention, wherein, for the ink cartridge identification number, a storage capacity limitation is set in the data storage unit, and

If when storing the ink cartridge identification number, the ink cartridge identification number is stored up to the storage capacity limit and all sending status flags are not set to indicate sent, the ink cartridge control unit executes an error handling process.

(22) A twenty-second aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in any one of the eleventh to twenty-first aspects of the present invention, wherein:

The cartridge stores a variety of recording materials; and

The recording material usage amount calculation unit performs calculation for each of the plurality of recording materials, and stores the recording material amount used only for image recording in the data storage unit.

(23) A twenty-third aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in the eleventh to twenty-second aspects of the present invention, wherein:

the recording material is ink; and

The recording material usage amount calculating unit determines the amount of ink used by counting the number of ejected ink beads.

(24) A twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention is the printing system described in the twenty-third aspect of the present invention, wherein the recording material usage amount calculation unit does not use the ink amount for enabling the print head to eject ink as the ink usage amount a part of.

[Effect of the present invention]

With the printer and printing system according to the invention, the printer sends the ink cartridge identification number to the data processing means. The data processing device or a terminal connected upstream of the data processing device can determine which of the plurality of ink cartridges is actually used. As a result, the system operator can know which ink cartridge provided to the user is actually used, and can charge the user only for the actually used portion.

The data processing device used here is not particularly limited as long as the data processing device can communicate with and control the printer. For example, the data processing device may be a server, a general-purpose terminal device or computer (such as a PC) for controlling a printer, or a POS terminal for controlling a printer to print magazines, receipts, tickets, coupons, labels or other media.

With the printer and printing system according to the present invention, the printer sends the device identification number and the amount of recording material only for image recording to the data processing device. If a plurality of printers are connected to the data processing device, the data processing device or a terminal device connected upstream of the data processing device can determine how much recording material is used by each printer only for printing. When multiple printers are used in a billing system in which customers are charged according to how much recording material is used, the amount of recording material usage can be determined individually for each printer, data from all printers can be collected and tabulated, and based on the records Users are charged for material usage.

With the printer and the printing system according to the present invention, the printer sends the device identification number and the recording material amount only for printing and the ink cartridge identification number to the data processing device. When a plurality of printers are connected to the data processing device, the data processing device or a terminal device connected upstream of the data processing device can know which ink cartridge is installed in each printer and how much recording material is consumed. Therefore, even when the recording material charging system tracks recording materials of a plurality of printers, it is possible to determine how much recording material is used from each ink cartridge.

Additionally, by collecting and tabulating data from all printers, the recorded material billing system can determine whether there are unused ink cartridges that were provided to the user. It is also possible to determine whether there is an abnormally used ink cartridge, for example, when the ink cartridge is used even though the recording material should have been exhausted.

With the printer and printing system according to the present invention, when an ink cartridge is installed in the ink cartridge installation unit, the ink cartridge control unit of the printer reads the ink cartridge identification number, stores the ink cartridge identification number as a newly installed ink cartridge, and sends the ink cartridge identification number to the data processing device. The data processing device can thus reliably determine which ink cartridge is installed in which printer. The data processing means can also know when an ink cartridge is moved from one printer to another.

When the recording material charging system includes a plurality of printers, the recording material charging system can determine the usage of each ink cartridge, and by tabulating the data received from all the printers, can reliably determine whether any provided ink cartridges have not been installed in the in the printer.

With the printer and printing system according to the present invention, when the amount of recording material in the ink cartridge used in the ink cartridge installation unit falls below a predetermined level, the ink cartridge control unit of the printer reads the ink cartridge identification number, and registers the ink cartridge identification number in the In the data storage unit, as an empty ink cartridge, and later send the ink cartridge identification number to the data processing device. The data processing device can thus reliably know when which ink cartridge has run out of recording material (ie has become empty).

In addition, when the recording material charging system includes a plurality of printers, the recording material charging system can determine the usage amount of each ink cartridge, and by tabulating the data received from all the printers, it can be reliably determined whether an exhausted record has not been returned Material (empty) cartridge.

With the printer and printing system according to the present invention, the ink cartridge control unit of the printer retains the ink cartridge identification number sent to the data processing device in the data storage unit, instead of deleting the ink cartridge identification number, and by adding the ink cartridge identification number, in the data storage unit The ink cartridge identification number read from the memory device of the newly installed ink cartridge is stored in .

If the ink cartridge identification number received by the data processing means is later lost due to some problem, such as a crash of the data processing means after receiving the ink cartridge identification number, then the data processing means The required cartridge identification number can be retrieved by sending the printer another send request. More specifically, since the ink cartridge identification number is always stored by the printer or the data processing device, even if there is a problem with the printing system, the ink cartridge identification number is not lost, and thus stable printing system operation can be maintained.

With the printer and printing system according to the present invention, the printer retains the ink cartridge identification number sent to the data processing device in the data storage unit, instead of deleting the ink cartridge identification number, and sets the sending status of the sent ink cartridge identification number to "sent". state. It is thus possible to distinguish sent cartridge IDs from unsent cartridge IDs. More specifically, the printer can distinguish between an identification number of an ink cartridge that is stored in the data storage unit and must remain in the data storage unit (i.e. is write-protected) because it has not been sent to the data processing device, and an ink cartridge identification number that has been sent to the data processing device and therefore The (ie non-write-protected) cartridge identification number can be erased if desired, and thus avoids adding and storing (overwriting) a newly read cartridge identification number to an address where a write-protected cartridge identification number is stored.

With the printer and printing system according to another aspect of the present invention, the printer erases (or rewrites) the ink cartridge identification number of the ink cartridge that the sending status is set to and then stores the newly read ink cartridge identification number. Thus, the present invention can also be used when the storage capacity available for storing the cartridge identification numbers in the data storage unit is limited and cartridge identification numbers exceeding this storage capacity must be stored. The present invention can therefore be used with printers that store multiple ink cartridge identification numbers because the printer uses different ink cartridges for each of the multiple colors. In addition, as long as the storage capacity of the data storage unit is not exceeded, the printer can keep the ink cartridge identification number sent to the data processing device in the memory, so that the data processing device can obtain the previously received ink cartridge identification number as many times as required.

With the printer and printing system according to another aspect of the present invention, if the cartridge identifier is stored up to the storage capacity limit and none of the send status flags are set to indicate sent, the printer performs an error handling process. If the storage capacity of the data storage unit becomes full due to some problem before the cartridge identification number stored in the storage unit is sent to the data processing device, the error handling process can be performed without deleting or rewriting the data. Therefore, the ink cartridge identification number which has not been sent to the data processing device can be reliably stored in the memory. Errors can be reported to the user, allowing the user to repair or inspect the printer to keep the printing system operating smoothly.

With the printer and the printing system according to another aspect of the present invention, each ink cartridge stores a plurality of recording materials, the recording material usage calculation unit performs calculation for each of the plurality of recording materials, and will be used only for image recording The material quantities are stored in the data storage unit and this information is later sent to the data processing means. Even when each ink cartridge contains a plurality of recording materials, the data processing device can therefore reliably determine the amount of recording material used.

When using the recording material charging system with multiple printers, the consumption of each recording material in each ink cartridge can be determined, and by tabulating the data received from all printers, the consumption from each ink cartridge can be determined statistically. Which has the most documented material. When the ink cartridge is replaced later, the ink cartridge can be provided according to how much each recording material is used. If different ink cartridges are used for each recording material, more ink cartridges containing the most commonly used recording materials can be provided. When a plurality of recording materials are stored in one ink cartridge, an ink cartridge having a larger capacity for more commonly used recording materials can be selectively provided.

With the printer and the printing system according to another aspect of the present invention, the recording material is ink, and the recording material usage calculation unit determines the ink usage based on the number of ejected ink beads. Therefore, by counting the number of ink beads, the amount of ink used only for printing can be reliably determined. As a result, the user can be reliably charged for the amount of ink actually used for printing.

The recording material is not limited to ink but may be, for example, toner.

The recording material consumption calculating unit in the printer and the printing system according to the present invention does not regard the ink consumed for keeping the printer in normal working condition as part of the ink usage, and the ink for keeping the printer in normal working condition is consumed for Purge operation, recovering clogged nozzles or ink filling the bead path. As a result, ink actually used for printing can be reliably calculated.

In the printing system according to the present invention, the data processing device has a status acquisition unit for requesting the printer to send status information and receiving status information from the printer. Therefore, the printer can transmit status information to the data processing device when desired in response to a request from the status acquisition unit.

The status acquisition unit in the printing system according to another aspect of the present invention adds an error correction code for maintaining reliability of data to received status information. If the status information is altered in some way after generation, the presence of the alteration can be detected by the data processing means upon reception by using an error correction code. When the printing system of the present invention is used in the recording material charging system, then the reliability of status information received from the printer can be improved, changes due to communication errors or tampering can be avoided, and the reliability of the recording material charging system can be improved .

With the printing system according to the present invention, the status information is transmitted from the data processing device to the terminal equipment maintained by the ink cartridge supplier who supplies the printing system via the network, and the terminal equipment calculates the recording material usage fee based on the status information. Accordingly, the ink cartridge supplier may charge the printer user for the amount used. Therefore, by acquiring status information from the printer and transmitting the information to the ink cartridge supplier, a realistic and highly reliable recording material charging system can be provided.

A data processing device in a printing system according to another aspect of the present invention has a recording material usage amount acquisition unit for requesting how much recording material is used by a printer and acquiring from the printer how much recording material is used. Therefore, when the data processing device wishes to know how much recording material is used, the printer reports how much recording material is used, and the data processing device confirms.

Other objects and achievements of the present invention can be more easily understood and appreciated by referring to the following description and claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an ink billing system for billing ink usage using a printer and a printing system according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an external oblique view of the printer according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is an external oblique view of the printer with two front covers opened to reveal the interior of the printer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an ink tank installed in the printer according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an electronic setup of an in-store server and printer.

Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram of the internal processing of the in-store server and printer.

Fig. 7 schematically shows a storage area in a data storage unit.

Fig. 8 schematically shows an ink tank ID storage area.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart describing the process performed when the printer is powered on or when an ink tank is installed.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart describing the process performed when the ink tank runs out of ink.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart of a procedure for storing an ink tank ID in an ink tank ID storage area.

Fig. 12 is a flow chart of the charging status information collection process.

13A to 13D show examples of ink bead counts in billing status information received by a printer manufacturer from a host server.

Fig. 14 is a table of ink tank IDs in billing status information received by the printer manufacturer from the main server (company X).

Detailed ways

Preferred embodiments of a printer and a printing system according to the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of a printer and a printing system according to the present invention using an ink cartridge storing ink, toner, or other recording materials will be described in detail below with respect to a billing system using the printer and the printing system.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an ink billing system using a printer and a printing system according to the present invention to bill a user for the amount of ink used. 2 is an external oblique view of the printer according to this embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an external oblique view of the printer with the front cover opened to reveal the inside of the printer, and FIG. 4 is ink installed in the printer in this embodiment of the present invention Oblique view of the box.

Ink charging system concept

In the ink charging system according to this embodiment of the present invention, the terminal device 100 operated by the printer manufacturer (supplier of ink cartridges containing recording materials such as ink or toner) manages the supply of ink cartridges to company X 200 (ink cartridge users). There is an ink cartridge of ink as a recording material, in which company X 200 purchases a plurality of color inkjet printers 240, and through the terminal device 100 of the printer manufacturer, pays for ink according to the amount of ink used in the printer 240 for the printer.

In this ink charging system, Company X 200 is a company that issues coupons for a specific product and receives advertising revenue based on the number of coupons issued. Company X 200 has in-store servers (data processing systems) 220, 230 installed in a plurality of stores 410 to 440 owned or managed by Company Y 400 (e.g., customers of Company X 200) and a plurality of printers 240 purchased from printer manufacturers ( For simplicity, only in-store servers and printers in stores 410 and 420 are shown in FIG. 1 ). Each printer 240 is communicably connected to the in-store servers 220, 230 via a LAN.

Company Y 400 in this example is a supermarket or other retailer. Printer 240 may be a printer for printing receipts, but is described as a different kind of printer in this embodiment of the invention. More specifically, a printer 240 is installed near each POS terminal in each store 410 to 440 as a printer for printing coupons. For example, each printer 240 is configured to issue a coupon linked to special product information input from a POS terminal according to an instruction from an in-store server 220, 230 installed in the same store. The issued coupon is then handed over to the customer by the POS terminal operator of Company Y400.

The main server 210 is maintained by Company X 200 and is communicatively connected to each of the in-store servers 220, 230 located in the stores 410-440 through a proprietary or public communication network such as the Internet. The main server 210 sends product information to the in-store servers 220,230. For example, the main server 210 is also used to manage product information, and transmits data for printing coupons output by the printer 240 together with the product information, and receives the type and number of coupons issued by the printer 240 from the in-store servers 220, 230 Related information.

The printer manufacturer in this ink charging system supplies company X with ink cartridges containing ink (hereinafter referred to as "ink cartridges") on demand. The terminal device 100 may be operated by the printer manufacturer to predict the demand based on the user's ink consumption. A printer 240 is installed at a cash register with a POS terminal in company Y 400. Ink cartridges provided by company X 200 are installed in printer 240. The scanner at the POS terminal scans the barcode (including the product code attached to each product), and then the in-store server 220, 230 obtains the product information corresponding to each product code, and determines whether there is coupon information to be printed. If there is coupon information to be printed, the server sends appropriate print data to the printer 240 to issue the coupon. The in-store servers 220 , 230 in each store 410 to 440 periodically collect information related to ink usage from each connected printer 240 and send the information to the main server 210 .

The main server 210 then transmits the ink usage information of the printer 240 collected in the main server 210 to the terminal device 100 operated by the printer manufacturer through the network. The ink usage information collected in the host server 210 may optionally be recorded to a CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or other data storage medium and then passed on to the printer manufacturer. The printer manufacturer or terminal device 100 then tabulates the usage information received from Company X 200 and periodically bills Company X 200 for the ink usage. The Company X 200 will also return empty ink tanks collected from the Company Y 400 to the printer manufacturer. The printer manufacturer refills the returned ink tanks and returns the refilled ink tanks to the company for the X200.

The ink charging system according to this embodiment of the present invention charges only for the amount of ink used to print coupons or other content. Ink not used for printing includes, for example, ink consumed by purge processes, printhead recovery processes, and ink supply replenishment operations, including ink used to flush nozzles and ink drawn from nozzles as part of printhead nozzle maintenance. More specifically, there is no charge for ink consumed by the operation of making it possible to eject ink from the print head. Thus, the advantage of this system is that Company X 200 does not need to pay for ink that is not used to print the coupon.

printer settings

The setting of the printer 240 in this embodiment of the present invention is described next.

The printer 240 according to this embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a color printer that uses a plurality of different color inks to print images on roll paper used as a recording medium and issue coupons.

As shown in FIG. 2, a printer 240 according to this embodiment of the present invention has a power switch 3, a roll paper cover 5, and an ink tank compartment cover 7 from left to right on the front of the printer housing 2, and the printer housing 2 includes a front upper panel 2a and printer case cover 2b. Above the power switch 3 are a plurality of LED indicator lights 6 for reporting information related to the status of the printer to the user. Each of the roll paper cover 5 and the ink tank compartment cover 7 can be rotated forwardly on a hinge (not shown) located at the bottom of each cover to open and close.

Opening the roll paper cover 5 opens the paper compartment 13, in which, as shown in FIG. 3, roll paper 11 used as printing paper is stored. When the roll paper cover 5 is thus opened, the roll paper 11 can be replaced.

Open the ink box compartment cover 7 and just can enter the ink box compartment 15, and can load or replace the ink box 20 in the ink box compartment 15.

The ink cartridge 20 in this embodiment is a single package containing three-color ink packs including yellow, cyan and magenta inks, respectively, within the cartridge housing 21 . In the printer 240 according to this embodiment, the ink tank 20 in the ink tank compartment 15 slides between the ink tank replacement position and the ink tank use position as the ink tank compartment cover 7 is opened and closed.

As shown in FIG. 4 , two positioning holes 26 are formed at the bottom of the back surface 21 a of the ink cartridge 20 . When the ink cartridge 20 is loaded into the cartridge bay 15 of the printer 240, the ink cartridge 20 is guided and held in place by alignment holes 26 which slide over alignment pins (not shown). Ink supply openings 21b are also formed in the middle of the back surface 21a, and the three inks in the ink tank 20 are supplied to the printer 240 through these ink supply openings 21b.

The waste ink recovery openings 28 provided between the positioning holes 26 are used to recover waste ink for print head cleaning, recovery of clogged nozzles and ink supply replenishment, i.e. not used by the printer 240 for printing but for keeping the printer The printing conditions are such that the ink of the ink can be ejected from the print head. Wasted ink is recovered into the ink cartridge 20 through the waste ink recovery opening 28 . The ink cartridge 20 according to this embodiment of the invention thus functions as both an ink tank for supplying ink and a waste ink tank for collecting and containing waste ink.

A memory device 27 is embedded in one side 21c of the ink cartridge 20, exposing the surface of the contact pins 27a. This storage device 27 is a rewritable nonvolatile storage device such as a flash ROM, and stores an ink cartridge ID (ink cartridge identification information) or other information for identifying a specific ink cartridge. The storage device 27 is connected to a mating pin (not shown) located in the ink cartridge compartment 15 of the printer 240 through the exposed contact pin 27a, thereby enabling the printer 240 to write data to the storage device 27 .

Relationship between in-store servers and printers

The relationship between the in-store server 220 (230) and the printer 240 of the printing system according to this embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing the electronic setup of the in-store server 220 ( 230 ) and the printer 240 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the main parts of the in-store server 220 (including the in-store server 230 and other servers) are a CPU 221, a ROM 222 (nonvolatile memory), a RAM 223 (volatile memory), and a memory as a mass storage device. Hard drive 224 , input device 225 , and communication interface 226 . The in-store server 220 (230) controls the printer 240 as a result of the CPU 221 running the operating system and software applications stored in the hard disk drive 224, and sending commands and print data to the printer 240 through the communication interface 226.

The printer 240 mainly includes a CPU 241, a flash ROM 242 (a rewritable non-volatile memory), a RAM 243 (a volatile memory), a communication interface 244, and a print control for controlling ink jetting onto the roll paper 11 for printing. Unit 245, paper delivery mechanism 246, print head 247, cover opening sensor 248 for detecting whether roll paper cover 5 or ink tank cover 7 is opened or closed, and ink tank compartment 15 in which ink tank 20 is loaded. When the CPU 241 runs the firmware stored in the flash ROM 242, the printer 240 communicates with the in-store server 220 (230) through the communication interface 244 to receive commands and print data. According to the received control command and print data, the print control unit 245 conveys the roll paper 11 using the paper conveyance mechanism 246 while driving the printhead 247 to print on the roll paper 11 to issue coupons.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram describing internal processes of the in-store server 220 ( 230 ) and the printer 240 .

printer process

First, the operation of the printer 240 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6 , the printer 240 has a receiving unit 301 and a receiving buffer 302 . The receiving unit 301 receives commands and print data sent from the in-store server 220 . The receiving buffer 302 temporarily stores commands and print data received by the receiving unit 301 . The command interpreting unit then interprets the data received by the receive buffer 320, and sends a control command to the control command buffer 304 and print data to the print buffer by direct memory access (DMA).

The print data buffered by the print buffer 305 is then converted for printing by the print data generating unit 306 to generate and store dot pattern data corresponding to the nozzle arrangement of the print head 247 in the print buffer. For example, the dot pattern data is 2-bit gray scale data representing whether the ink ejected from the nozzles of the print head 247 is (1) not ejected, or in the order of (2) small dots, (3) medium dots, or (4) large dots injection.

The print control unit 307 drives the print head 247 according to the dot pattern data stored in the print buffer 305 to form an image on the roll paper 11 and generate a coupon.

The control command data buffered in the control command buffer 304 is read by the main control unit 308, and a process such as advancing the paper by a certain distance is performed according to the control command.

Next, the ink bead count analysis unit 309 (recording material usage amount calculation unit) will be described.

The ink bead count analysis unit 309 counts the amount of ink ejected from the print head 247 in units of dots based on the print data stored in the print buffer 305 or the dot pattern data generated from the print data, as the ink volume of each color ink. number of beads. The amount of ink ejected from the print head 247 differs according to the size of each dot, that is, according to whether each dot is small, medium or large. The ink bead count analysis unit 309 converts each size of dots into a corresponding ink bead count, and calculates how many ink beads are ejected. Then, the ink bead count calculated by the ink bead count analysis unit 309 is stored in the data storage unit 312 . The accumulated ink bead count from a specific time point such as when the ink tank 20 is replaced is also stored.

The ink bead count analysis unit 309 counts the amount of ink ejected from the print head 247 to print on the roll paper 11, converts it into the ink bead count of each color in dots, and does not use consumption to ensure that the print head can The amount of ink ejected from the print head 247 is considered to be part of the ink usage, and the ink used to ensure that the print head can eject ink includes ink ejected from the print head 247 during nozzle flushing, ink absorbed from the print head 247 by an ink absorbing mechanism (not shown). Ink and ink for recovery and ink loading operations of clogged nozzles.

Next, the remaining ink analysis unit 310 will be described.

The remaining ink analysis unit 310 calculates the amount of ink remaining in the ink tank 20 for each color. A value representing the amount of ink remaining in the ink tank 20 is stored for each color in the storage device 27 of the ink tank 20 .

When the ink cartridge is refilled with ink, a certain initial value is stored and can be calculated at any time by subtracting from this initial value the amount of ink used for printing plus the total amount of ink used to enable ejection of ink from the printhead. Remaining ink volume, the total amount of ink used to enable ejection of ink from the printhead includes ink consumed by flushing, ink absorption, and other cleaning operations, as well as clogged nozzle recovery and ink loading operations, as described above.

Alternatively, the remaining ink level can be calculated from the total ejected bead count. The remaining ink level can also be expressed as a ratio to the initial value. The calculated remaining ink level is then stored in the data storage unit 312 and the storage device 27 of the ink cartridge 20 by the ink cartridge control unit 311 at a predetermined time. A cartridge is considered empty ("out of ink" level) when the remaining ink level is lower than or equal to a predetermined level.

Next, the ink cartridge control unit 311 will be described.

The ink cartridge control unit 311 is a control unit for controlling reading of data from and writing data to the storage device 27 of the ink cartridge 20 installed in the printer 240 . The operations performed by the ink cartridge control unit 311 are linked with the ink cartridge ID read from the installed ink cartridge, as described further below.

Next, the data storage unit 312 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 .

The data storage unit 312 is a storage area for storing information related to the printer 240, and can be provided by reserving a specific area in the flash ROM 242.

FIG. 7 schematically shows storage areas in the data storage unit 312 .

As shown in FIG. 7, the data storage unit 312 has a printer serial number storage area 312a, a remaining ink storage area 312b, an accumulated ink bead count storage area 312c, and an ink tank ID storage area 312d.

The printer serial number storage area 312a stores a printer serial number (equipment identification number), which is a unique number for distinguishing the printer 240 from other printers of the same or different model.

The remaining ink storage area 312b stores the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge currently loaded in the printer.

The accumulated ink bead count storage area 312c accumulates and stores the total number of ink beads used only for printing counted by the ink bead count analysis unit 309 .

The ink tank ID storage area 312a stores the ID of a newly installed ink tank and the ID of a replaced empty ink tank.

FIG. 8 schematically shows the ink tank ID storage area of the data storage unit 312 .

The ink tank ID storage area 312d separately stores the ID of the newly installed ink tank and the ID of the replaced empty ink tank, and is configured to store both IDs. The ink tank ID storage area 312d is described below as having a limited capacity for storing an ink tank identification number, but if a mass storage device is used for the data storage unit 312, the ink tank ID storage area 312a may be configured to have no specific storage capacity limit.

The ink tank ID storage area 312d includes a label unit 312e, an ink tank ID storage unit 312f, and an ink tank status storage unit 312g.

The flag unit 312e stores a flag "r" (ID transmission status flag) indicating whether or not the ink tank ID has been transmitted to the in-store server 220 (230).

The ink tank ID storage unit 312f stores the ink tank ID read from the storage device 27 by the ink tank control unit 311 .

The ink tank status storage unit 312g stores the status of the ink tank as new or old. The ink tank status flag is used to determine whether the ink tank ID read from the ink tank is the ID number of the ink tank installed for the first time or the ID of the ink tank that has run out of ink.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the ink tank ID storage area 312d is configured to sequentially store data from a predetermined address (eg, 0000h) each time the ink tank control unit 311 reads the ink tank ID from the storage device 27 .

The transmission data generating unit 313 acquires the charging information (hereinafter referred to as "charging status") stored in the data storage unit 312 of the printer 240 in response to the charging status transmission request from the in-store server 220 (230) to generate the charging status information, Or in response to the cumulative ink bead count transmission request, the accumulated ink bead count information is generated, and the requested information is returned to the in-store server 220 (230).

The charging status includes the ID of the new ink tank and the ID of the empty ink tank stored in the ink tank ID storage area 312d. Printer serial number and remaining ink information can also be included.

The cumulative glob count information includes only the cumulative glob count (or the remaining ink level converted from the cumulative glob count) for printing.

Information including this charging status information and accumulated ink bead count information may optionally be used as charging status information. When the in-store server 220 (230) issues a transmission request in this case, the transmission data generation unit 313 returns information including charging status information and accumulated ink bead count information as the requested charging status information.

When receiving a charging status information sending request, the sending data generation unit 313 compiles the information into a single sending unit, adds a checksum to improve data reliability, and returns the result as charging status information. Also add a checksum to the cumulative glob count to return the cumulative glob count information. The generated billing status information or accumulated ink bead count information is then transmitted to the in-store server 220 through the transmitting unit 314 (230).

The transmission data generating unit 313 is not limited to transmitting charging status information in one block, but may sequentially transmit the printer serial number, remaining ink level, accumulated ink bead count, newly installed ink tank ID, and empty ink tank ID. It is also possible to transmit the ink tank ID in combination with other data including only the accumulated ink bead count, thereby improving transmission efficiency by transmitting only necessary information.

In-store server handling

The in-store server 220 ( 230 ) can perform various processes by running an operating system and software applications stored on the hard drive 224 . FIG. 6 shows a system for obtaining coupon printing and charging status information using a printer 240 located in a store. The in-store server 220 (230) includes a communication unit 321, a coupon image storage unit 322, a coupon selection unit 323, an ink bead information acquisition unit 324 (recording material usage acquisition unit), a charging status acquiring unit 325, and a charging status storage unit 326.

The communication unit 321 communicates with the printer 240, and sends commands and print data to the printer 240 according to instructions from an upstream application or API (Application Programming Interface), and passes through a port for communicating with the printer 240 (in this example A LAN port in the middle) receives information from the printer 240 .

The coupon image storage unit 322 stores image data of a plurality of coupons that can be printed by the printer 240 .

The coupon selection unit 323 selects appropriate image data from image data of a plurality of coupons stored in the coupon image storage unit 322 . For example, the coupon selection unit 323 in this embodiment performs a selection process when triggered by a POS terminal that completes a transaction.

More specifically, the coupon selection unit 323 selects image data of a coupon linked to a special product purchased by a customer. The selected image data is transmitted to the printer 240 through the communication unit 321, and the printer 240 then prints and issues a coupon. As a result, the coupons associated with the products purchased by the customer are sequentially issued at the same time as the sales receipt is issued from the receipt printer (not shown) connected to the POS terminal, so that the coupons can be given to the customer together with the receipt. By handing the coupon to the customer, Company Y 400 hopes to entice the customer to come back and buy something else. Coupon image data may be sent from the in-store server 220 (230) to the printer 240 for printing.

The ink bead information acquisition unit 324 requests the printer 240 to transmit accumulated ink bead count information, and sends an accumulated ink bead count information transmission request to the printer 240 through the communication unit 321 according to a command from a higher layer application (not shown). When the accumulated ink bead count information is received from the printer 240 after the cumulative ink bead count information transmission request is transmitted, the accumulated ink bead count information is delivered to the application that requested the information. The cumulative ink bead count information reception receipt is also returned to the printer 240 . Accumulated ink bead count information is also stored in the charging state storage unit 326 .

The charging status acquisition unit 325 requests the printer 240 to send charging status information, and sends a charging status information transmission request to the printer 240 through the communication unit 321 when instructed by a higher layer application (not shown). When receiving the charging status information from the printer 240 after sending the charging status information transmission request, the charging status acquiring unit 325 passes the charging status information to the application. A billing status information receipt receipt is also returned to the printer 240 . Information in the received charging status information is interpreted and stored in the charging status storage unit 326 .

When storing the information in the charging status information to the charging status storage unit 326, the charging status acquiring unit 325 stores the printer serial number, remaining ink level data, cumulative ink bead count, new ink tank ID, and old ink tank ID as a single record , whether charging status information is received as a single block or as separate data.

The ink glob information acquiring unit 324 and the charging status acquiring unit 325 add a checksum or other error correction codes to the total ink glob count information and the charging status information. This error correction code is designed to ensure the integrity of a particular data unit and is calculated by, for example, taking a checksum or a binary sum of all data. The use of error correction codes enables to verify, for example, whether the data has been modified by some other process or whether the data was correctly transmitted to the printer manufacturer's terminal device 100 so that if the values are different, retransmission or other error handling procedures can be performed.

More specifically, by adding an error correction code to the charging status information, the charging status acquisition unit 325 can detect errors in received data, avoid falsification, and improve data reliability.

In this example, the error correction code is added to the charging status information by the charging status acquisition unit 325 of the in-store server 220 (230), but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the transmission data generation unit 313 of the printer 240 may add an error correction code to the charging status information, so that the charging status information including the error correction code is transmitted from the printer to the in-store server 220 (230).

The printer reads the ink tank ID, case 1: while installing the ink tank

Next, the procedure for reading the ink tank ID when the ink tank 20 is mounted in the printer 240 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 9 . Figure 9 is a flow chart describing the process run when the printer is powered on or when an ink tank is installed.

When a new ink tank 20 is installed in the printer 240 , the ink tank control unit 311 reads the ink tank ID from the storage device 27 of the ink tank 20 .

More specifically, when the printer 240 is powered on or the cover opening sensor 248 detects that the ink tank hatch 7 is closed (step S1 returns "Yes"), read the remaining ink level value stored in the storage device 27 of the ink tank 20 (step S1). S2), and compare it with the remaining ink level value stored in the data storage unit 312 (step S3).

If the two remaining ink level values are the same, it is determined that the currently installed ink tank is the same as it was before power was turned on or the ink tank was replaced.

If the remaining ink level values are not the same, the currently installed ink tank is different from the ink tank installed before power-on or installation of the ink tank, and the ink tank control unit 311 stores the ink tank ID read from the ink tank storage device 27 as a new ink tank ID (step S4).

After storing the new ink tank ID, the ink tank control unit 311 updates the remaining ink level value stored in the remaining ink storage area 312b of the data storage unit 312 to the value read from the storage device 27 of the ink tank 20 (step S5). As a result, the remaining ink level value stored in the ink tank 20 and the remaining ink level value stored in the printer 240 are the same.

The ink cartridge control unit 311 also increments and updates the mount counter stored in the storage device 27 of the ink cartridge 20 . Therefore, the information indicating the number of times the ink cartridge 20 has been installed in the printer is updated in the ink cartridge 20 . The printer 240 can also read the value of the install counter and perform appropriate error handling procedures such as notifying the in-store servers 220, 230 of a problem when the install counter is a value that should not be present during normal use.

The printer reads the ink tank ID, case 2: when the ink tank is empty

Next, the reading process of the ink tank ID when the ink tank in the printer 240 is empty (the state of running out of ink) will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 10 . Fig. 10 is a flowchart describing the process performed when the ink tank becomes empty.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the remaining ink analysis unit 310 determines whether the ink tank is empty. The remaining ink analysis unit 310 calculates the amount of remaining ink of each color in the ink tank 20 to obtain a remaining ink level value, and if the remaining ink level value is less than or equal to a predetermined value for any color, it is determined that the ink tank is in the end state. The state of the ink.

If for any color, the remaining ink level value is less than or equal to the predetermined level (step S11 returns "Yes"), the printer 240 uses the transmission data generation unit 313 to report the state of running out of ink to the in-store server 220 (230), and Make the LED indicator light 6 on the exterior of the printer 240 blink as a way to prompt the user to replace the ink tank 20 (step S12).

Then the ink cartridge control unit 311 reads the ink cartridge ID from the storage device 27 of the ink cartridge 20, and stores the read ink cartridge ID in the ink cartridge ID storage area 312d of the data storage unit 312 as the ID of the empty ink cartridge (step S13).

Storing the ink tank ID: when the ink tank is installed and when the ink tank runs out of ink

The ink tank ID storing process performed in step S4 in FIG. 9 and step S13 in FIG. 10 is further described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 11 .

Step S4 in Fig. 9 is a process for storing the ink tank ID when the ink tank is installed. Fig. 11 is a flowchart describing the process of storing the ink tank ID in the ink tank ID storage area 312d. Assume that the ink tank identification number (ID) storage capacity of the ink tank ID storage area 312d is small, limited to 20 ink tank IDs.

In this example, a new ink tank is installed in the ink tank compartment 15 when four ink tank IDs are already stored in the ink tank ID storage area 312d. More specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 8, when the new ink tank IDs 20060701001, 20060705045, and 20060803104 are stored at addresses 0000h, 0001h, and 0010h, and the ink tank ID 20060701001 that runs out of ink is stored at address 0011h , install a new ink tank with the ink tank ID 10060803285.

The ink tank control unit 311 then determines whether there is enough space in the ink tank ID storage area 312d to store the ink tank ID read from the storage device 27 . If there is (step S51 returns "Yes"), the ink tank ID of the newly installed ink tank is stored (step S52). More specifically, ink tank ID 10060803285 is written at address 0100h in ink tank ID storage unit 312f, and "new" or other specific flags are written in corresponding fields in ink tank status storage unit 312g.

However, if step S51 determines that there is no space available (step S51 returns "No"), then the ink cartridge control unit 311 determines whether a flag "r" stored in the ink cartridge ID memory has been sent by checking whether the flag "r" is set in the flag unit 312e. Twenty ink tank IDs in area 312d. If all twenty flags "r" are set (step S53 returns "Yes"), one of the twenty sent ink tank IDs is erased, and the ink tank of the ink tank newly installed in the ink tank compartment 15 is replaced. The ID is stored in the ink tank ID storage area 312d (step S54).

For example, it is possible to choose which of the twenty sent ink tank IDs to delete according to FIFO (first in first out), such that the oldest ink tank ID is deleted and a new ink tank ID is stored (overwritten) to the same address . Using the example shown in FIG. 8, therefore, the value stored at address 0000h in each storage unit is erased, the ink tank ID of the newly installed ink tank is written to the same address 0000h in the ink tank ID storage unit 312f, and " New" is written to the same address in the ink tank state storage unit 312g.

If the twenty flag "r" is not set in step S53 (step S53 returns "No"), a problem occurs. The ink cartridge control unit 311 therefore reports an error, and performs an appropriate error handling process (step S55). More specifically, if the ink tank ID stored in the ink tank ID storage unit 312f has not been sent to the in-store server 220 and the storage capacity is full, by running the error handling process instead of rewriting the memory, it is possible to reliably store the ID that has not been sent to the store. ink tank IDs from the in-store server 220 and they are not accidentally erased. The user can also be notified of a problem with the data storage unit 312 so that the user can ask the printer manufacturer to repair or check the printer to keep the printing system running smoothly.

Next, the ink tank ID storing process at the time of the ink tank running out of ink in step S13 of FIG. 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, when the ink tank installed in the ink tank compartment 15 runs out of ink, the ink tank control unit 311 reads the ink tank ID "20060705045", and determines whether there is space available in the ink tank ID storage area 312d. If there is (in this example at address 0101h place) (step S51 returns " yes "), then store this ink box ID 20060705045 (step S52) at address 0101h place in ink box ID storage area 312f (step S52), and write " old " Enter the same address in the ink tank status storage unit 312g.

If there is no available storage space (step S51 returns "No"), the ink cartridge control unit 311 determines whether the second stored in the ink cartridge ID storage area 312d has been sent by checking whether the flag "r" is set in the flag unit 312e. Ten ink tank IDs. If all twenty flags "r" are set (step S53 returns "Yes"), one of the twenty already sent ink tank IDs is erased, and the ink tank ID of the ink tank newly installed in the ink tank compartment 15 is replaced. It is stored in the ink tank ID storage area 312d (step S54). In this case, it is also preferable to determine which of the twenty already-transmitted ink tank IDs is to be deleted based on FIFO (first-in-first-out) so that the oldest ink tank ID is deleted and a new ink tank ID is stored ( rewrite) to the same address.

When the ink tank reaches the ink-out state, the in-store server 220 (230) stops printing from the printer 240 until the ink tank is replaced. When the user replaces the ink cartridge after storing the ID of the ink cartridge that has run out of ink, the sequence shown in FIG. 9 causes the printer 240 to recognize the new ink cartridge and restart printing if the new ink is not also empty.

Instead of deleting the ink tank ID that has been sent to the in-store server 220, this embodiment of the present invention stores a new ink tank ID read from the storage device 27 of the ink tank in the ink tank ID storage area 312d by adding the ID to the memory . As a result, for example, if the ink tank ID received by the in-store server 220 is lost because the in-store server 220 crashes after receiving the ink tank ID, since the sent ink tank ID is still stored in the ink tank ID storage area 312d on the printer, So another sending request can be sent to the printer by the in-store server 220 to retrieve the required ink cartridge ID.

More specifically, since both the printer 240 and the in-store server 220 store the ink tank ID, even if a problem occurs in the printing system, the printing system can operate stably without losing the ink tank ID.

Furthermore, when there is no storage space available in the ink tank ID storage area 312d, new ink tank IDs are stored in FIFO order by sequentially deleting the earliest ink tank IDs for which the sending flag "r" is set. The present invention can therefore be used in printing systems that use different ink tanks for each color and thus frequently read and store ink tank IDs.

The ink tank ID thus stored in the printer 240 is then collected in the in-store server through the procedure described below, and finally reported to the terminal device 100 of the printer manufacturer. The ink tank ID collection process is described below.

Get billing status information from the printer

In response to a command from the in-store server 220 (230), billing status information including the total ink bead count is sent from the printer 240 to the in-store server 220 (230). As described above, the billing status information includes the printer serial number, remaining ink level, total ink bead count, ink tank ID for new ink tanks, and ink tank ID for ink tanks that have run out of ink, and the in-store server 220 (230) compares this information with The error correction codes are organized together into a charging status information report. Then at a predetermined time, the charging status information is collected on the main server 210, and the charging status information on the main server 210 is periodically reported to the printer manufacturer's terminal device 100. The printer manufacturer's terminal device 100 (printer manufacturer) can then determine the ink usage of the printer 240 and the condition of each ink tank 20 .

The process of collecting charging status information is further described below with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 12 .

First, each printer 240 counts the total number of ink beads using the ink bead count analysis unit 309, and utilizes the remaining ink analysis unit 310 and the ink cartridge control unit 311 to collect all ink cartridge IDs stored in the ink cartridge ID storage area 312d, Including the newly installed ink tank 20 and the ink tank 20 that has run out of ink, charging status information is collected (step S21).

The in-store server 220 (230) collects charging status information from each printer 240 at a predetermined time by sending a charging status information transmission request to all printers 240 in the store (step S31).

When the printer 240 receives the charging status information transmission request (step S22), the printer 240 reads information required to report the charging status from the data storage unit 312, and adds a checksum to generate charging status information (step S23). The transmission data generation unit 313 then transmits the generated charging status information to the in-store server 220 through the transmission unit 314 (230) (step S24).

When the in-store server 220 (230) receives the charging status information from the printer 240 (step S32), if the received charging status information does not include a checksum, the server adds an error correction code to ensure that the data of the received charging status information reliability, and temporarily store the information (step S33). After step S33, the in-store server 220 (230) transmits to the printer 240 an acknowledgment confirming receipt of the charging status information (step S34).

When the printer 240 receives confirmation of the billing status information (step S25), the printer 240 sets the transmitted ink tank ID stored in the ink tank ID storage area 312d as transmitted (step S26). More specifically, the printer 240 sets the sending flag "r" in the flag unit 312e.

Referring to FIG. 8 again, the ink tank IDs 20060701001, 20060705045, 20060803104, and 20060701001 set with the sending flag "r" have been previously sent to the in-store server, however when the charging status information is sent, all the ink tank IDs from address 0000h to address 0101h ( Including these four previously sent IDs and the new ink cartridge IDs 10060803285 and 20060705045) and the cartridge status flag are sent to the in-store server 220. When the printing 240 subsequently receives the charging status information confirmation from the in-store server 220 (230), the printer 240 sets the sending flag "r" in the flag unit 312e at the addresses 0100h and 0101h where the new ink tank IDs 10060803285 and 20060705045 are stored.

By thus setting the sending flag when the reception of the billing status information is confirmed, the printer 240 can easily determine whether the stored ink tank ID is an ink tank ID that has already been sent or an ink tank ID that has not yet been sent. As a result, the printer 240 can also avoid accidentally writing a new ink tank ID at the address of an ink tank ID that has not yet been sent. Since the printer 240 separates write-protected addresses (addresses where the send flag "r" is not set) and writable addresses (addresses where the send flag "r" is set) in the ink tank ID storage area 312d, it is possible to more accurately control data transfer to Writing to storage unit 312.

After setting the sending flag for the sent ink tank ID in step S26, the printer 240 returns to step S21, collects charging status information, and repeats steps S22 to S26. As a result, the printer 240 transmits the charging status information to the in-store server 220 ( 230 ), adding and storing any subsequently read ink tank IDs each time a charging status information transmission request is received.

At a predetermined time after the in-store server 220 (230) collects the charging status information from the printer 240, the main server 210 transmits a charging status information transmission request requesting transmission of the charging status information to all the in-store servers 220 (230) (step S41).

When receiving the charging state information sending request (step S35), the in-store servers 220, 230 send the stored charging state information to the main server 210 (step S36). When the main server 210 receives the charging status information from the in-store servers 220, 230 (step S42), the main server 210 stores the charging status information. As a result, the main server 210 collects billing status information from all printers 240 as long as the printers 240 are functioning normally, ie, unless there is a problem with a particular printer 240 or the printer 240 is turned off.

When requested by the terminal device 100 of the printer manufacturer, the main server 210 at Company X or the operator of the main server 210 transmits the billing status information collected from all the printers to the printer manufacturer or the terminal device 100 used by the printer manufacturer (step S43) . The charging status information may be electronically transmitted online to the terminal device 100 used by the printer manufacturer, or may be recorded to a recordable data storage medium such as CD or DVD to be delivered to the printer manufacturer. As a result, all the billing status information stored on the main server 210 is sent or transferred to the printer manufacturer or the terminal device 100 designated by the printer manufacturer.

Requests from the printer manufacturer's terminal device 100 do not need to be processed on demand. For example, optionally, company X 200 may collect charging status information according to a predetermined monthly plan, and send the monthly charging status information to the terminal device 100 specified by the printer manufacturer on a certain day of each month.

Since error correction codes are automatically added to the charging status information on the in-store server 220 (230) in this charging status information collection model, if during the transmission between the main server 210 and the terminal device 100 specified by the printer manufacturer Errors occur, data errors can be detected, and data accuracy can be assured. Tampering can also be detected and handled appropriately since it will cause a mismatch between the error correction code and the content of the charging status information.

Tabulation for Printer Manufacturers

The printer manufacturer's terminal device 100 uses the ink bead count and ink tank ID information in the billing status information for different purposes.

First, the ink bead count will be described.

For example, the glob count indicates how much ink each printer 240 uses each month, and billing is based on the glob count.

13A to 13D show ink bead counts in charging status information received by the terminal device 100 of the printer manufacturer from the main server 210 of the company X 200. For simplicity, in this example the invention is used in a toll collection system with up to three printers. Figure 13A shows the ink bead count tabulation data for the time period from the introduction of the ink charging system to July 1, 2006, and Figures 13B to 13D show the time for each month starting from August 1, 2006 Ink count tabulation data within the segment. For brevity, the total globule counts are not shown for each color in FIGS. 13A to 13D , but are shown for all colors combined as an example.

As shown in FIG. 13A, two printers were used on July 1, 2006. The "previous count" in each table in Fig. 13 is the total ink bead count at the time of the last tabulation, and is 0 in Fig. 13A since the billing system has just been introduced. "Received Count" is based on the billing status information received by the terminal device 100 specified by the printer manufacturer from the main server 210 (Company X) during the current billing (tabulation) period, and "Difference" is the received The count minus the difference from the previous count. "Current count" is a value corresponding to the count of ink beads used by each printer 240 as known by the terminal device 100 from the count received on the current tabulation date as specified by the printer manufacturer, and is usually equal to the received count . This "current count" becomes the previous count on which the next tabulation will be based.

Each printer 240 stores the accumulated ink bead count counted from the start of operation, and reports the accumulated ink bead count to the terminal device 100 specified by the printer manufacturer every tabulation date. As a result, the amount of ink used from the previous tabulation date to the current tabulation date is represented by "difference" in each table.

Thus, the sum of these difference counts obtained for each printer 240 represents the total ink usage of the tabulation company X 200 from the previous tab to this tab. Therefore, the printer manufacturer's terminal device 100 can determine the charging amount from the previous tabulation to this tabulation (ie, within the current charging period) by multiplying the ink cost per ink bead by the total ink consumption. The printer manufacturer's terminal device 100 then sends a bill based on the charged amount to the company X 200, and the company X 200 pays the printer manufacturer the listed amount.

The data table in Figure 13B shows an increase in the number of printers compared to the number of printers reported in Figure 13A. This is because Company X adds a new printer to the printing system and sends a bead count carrying the printer serial number corresponding to the new printer along with the billing status information. A new printer record based on this information is therefore added to the data table and the customer is billed based on the total number of ink beads reported by all printers including the new printer.

If for some reason a particular printer 240 does not report billing status information, for example the printer 240 is turned off while the data is being reported, then the record for that printer is blank as shown in Figure 13C. The difference field is therefore also blank (equal to 0), not included in the total count, and the current count for this printer 240 for the current billing period is the previous count.

When billing status information is received for the same printer 240 the next time billing status information is reported, as shown in FIG. Added to the current billed amount.

This data collection and tabulation process ensures that the printer manufacturer can reliably bill customers for the ink usage of each printer 240 even when the printers 240 are located remotely from the printer manufacturer. If billing status information is not received from a particular printer 240 within a certain period of time, a problem may arise and an inquiry may also be initiated.

Next, the ink tank ID will be described.

The ink tank ID sent together with the billing status information indicates whether the ink tank is definitely installed in the printer 240, and whether the ink tank is continuously used until it runs out of ink.

FIG. 14 shows the ink tank ID in the billing status information received from the main server 210 (company X 200) by the terminal device 100 specified by the printer manufacturer.

In the table shown in FIG. 14 , the ink tank ID of the ink tank shipped by the printer manufacturer to the company X 200 is stored together with the shipping date according to the shipping record held by the terminal device 100 of the printer manufacturer. Whether or not the ink tank is used is recorded based on the ink tank ID included in the received billing status information. More specifically, when the ink tank ID of a newly installed ink tank or the ink tank ID of an ink tank that has run out of ink is received, the ink tank ID is stored in the "date of first use" and "date of run out of ink" fields . The date of first use and the date of running out of ink may be close dates, and if the date of collecting the charging status information from the printer 240 is included in the charging status information, the data collection date may be recorded.

In addition, if the ink tank ID and date received by the printer manufacturer's terminal device 100 match the previously received ink tank ID and date, the terminal device 100 knows that the ink tank ID and date have been received, and thus ignores the ink tank ID and date, and only record the ink tank ID and date received for the first time.

By thus editing the ink tank data table, the printer manufacturer's terminal device 100 can determine the status of the ink tank shipped from the printer manufacturer to company X.

In addition to the initial introduction, the printer manufacturer's terminal device 100 can statistically predict the period from ink tank shipment to use and the printer manufacturer's final collection as collected and tabulated data. Ink cartridges that deviate from this cycle and are unused or not recycled by the printer manufacturer even when they are empty can then be investigated to determine if there is a problem.

This embodiment of the present invention was described for an ink cartridge containing inks of a plurality of colors in a single cartridge, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be applied to an ink cartridge containing only one color of ink.

The present invention has also been described taking an inkjet printer and an ink cartridge as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be used for Laser printers and toner cartridges.

printer repair

When charging based on ink bead count, each printer is identified, ie, the serial number of each printer is identified, so as to count the total ink bead number of each printer 240 . Each printer 240 also cumulatively counts the number of ink beads since the printer 240 was first used, and if the total count buffer is cleared, the total count since the printer was first used will be lost.

If the printer 240 needs to be serviced that necessitates replacing the control circuit board containing the flash ROM and other storage devices that store the printer serial number and ink bead counts, the information containing the printer serial number, ink bead count is preferably read from the replaced circuit board. Charging status information for bead count, ink cartridge ID, and written to new boards installed.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings in conjunction with preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Unless these changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims, it should be understood that these changes and modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims.

Claims (24)

1. a printer can link to each other communicatedly with data processing equipment, is used for coming document image according to the order that receives from data processing equipment, and described printer comprises:

Data storage cell is used for stored information;

The print cartridge installation unit is used to install the print cartridge of stored record material;

The print cartridge control module is used for reading the print cartridge identification number from the memory device that is positioned at print cartridge, and the print cartridge identification number is stored in the data storage cell;

Send the data generation unit, be used to produce status information, described status information comprises the print cartridge identification number that is stored in the data storage cell; And

Transmitting element is used for status information is sent to data processing equipment,

Wherein, the print cartridge control module increases progressively and is updated in the installation counter of being stored in the memory device of print cartridge.

2. printer according to claim 1 also comprises:

Data storage cell is used for the device id of storaging mark printer;

Recording materials consumption computing unit, how many recording materials are used for calculating has only be used for the image record, and it is stored in data storage cell; And

Send the data generation unit, produce status information, the amount that described status information comprises the print cartridge identification number, is stored in the device id in the data storage cell and is used for the recording materials of image record.

3. printer according to claim 1 and 2, wherein, when in the print cartridge installation unit print cartridge being installed, the print cartridge control module reads the print cartridge identification number, and the print cartridge identification number is stored in the data storage cell, as the print cartridge of new installation.

4. according to any described printer in the claim 1 to 3, wherein, when the recording materials quantitative change in the print cartridge when being less than or equal to predeterminated level, the print cartridge control module reads the print cartridge identification number, and write down this print cartridge identification number, as the print cartridge that uses up recording materials.

5. according to any described printer in the claim 1 to 4, wherein, when transmitting element when data processing equipment sends status information, the print cartridge control module keeps the print cartridge identification number that is stored in the data storage cell, the transmission state of the print cartridge that the print cartridge identification number that sends is identified is set to expression and has sent, and the transmission state is stored in the data storage cell.

6. printer according to claim 5, wherein, the print cartridge control module is deleted the print cartridge identification number that the transmission state is set to represent the print cartridge that sent from data storage cell, and the print cartridge identification number of the print cartridge that will newly install stores data storage cell into.

7. according to claim 5 or 6 described printers, wherein,, memory limitations is set in data storage cell at the print cartridge identification number, and

If when storage print cartridge identification number, the print cartridge identification number is stored and reaches memory limitations and all transmission status indications and all be not set to expression and send, then print cartridge control module error process process.

8. according to any described printer in the claim 1 to 7, wherein:

Print cartridge is stored multiple recording materials; And

Recording materials consumption computing unit calculates in the described multiple recording materials each, and the recording materials amount that will only be used for the image record is stored in data storage cell.

9. according to any described printer in the claim 1 to 8, wherein:

Recording materials are inks; And

Recording materials consumption computing unit is determined used quantity of ink by the printer serial number that sprays is counted.

10. printer according to claim 9, wherein, the quantity of ink that recording materials consumption computing unit will not be used to make printhead can spray ink calculates the part as the ink consumption.

11. a print system comprises:

Data processing equipment; And

Printer can link to each other communicatedly with data processing equipment, is used for coming document image according to the order that receives from data processing equipment, and described printer comprises:

Data storage cell is used for stored information;

The print cartridge installation unit is used to install the print cartridge of stored record material;

The print cartridge control module is used for reading the print cartridge identification number from the memory device that is positioned at print cartridge, and the print cartridge identification number is stored in the data storage cell;

Send the data generation unit, be used to produce status information, described status information comprises the print cartridge identification number that is stored in the data storage cell; And

Transmitting element is used for status information is sent to data processing equipment,

Wherein, the print cartridge control module increases progressively and is updated in the installation counter of being stored in the memory device of print cartridge.

12. print system according to claim 11, wherein, printer also comprises:

Data storage cell is used for the device id of storaging mark printer;

Recording materials consumption computing unit, how many recording materials are used for calculating has only be used for the image record, and it is stored in data storage cell; And

Send the data generation unit, produce status information, the amount that described status information comprises the print cartridge identification number, is stored in the device id in the data storage cell and is used for the recording materials of image record.

13. according to claim 11 or 12 described print systems, wherein, data processing equipment comprises the state acquiring unit, is used to ask printer to send status information and receives status information from printer.

14. print system according to claim 13, wherein, the state acquiring unit adds error correcting code in the status information to.

15. according to any described print system in the claim 11 to 14, wherein:

When terminal device link to each other with data processing equipment by network and data processing equipment when terminal device sends status information,

Terminal device calculates the recording materials usage charges according to this status information.

16. print system according to claim 11, wherein, data processing equipment comprises recording materials consumption acquiring unit, is used to ask printer to use how many recording materials, and obtains from printer and to have used how many recording materials.

17. according to any described print system in the claim 11 to 16, wherein, when in the print cartridge installation unit print cartridge being installed, the print cartridge control module reads the print cartridge identification number, and the print cartridge identification number is stored in the data storage cell, as the print cartridge of new installation.

18. according to the print system described in any in the claim 11 to 17, wherein, when the recording materials quantitative change in the print cartridge when being less than or equal to predeterminated level, the print cartridge control module reads the print cartridge identification number, and write down this print cartridge identification number, as the print cartridge that uses up recording materials.

19. according to any described print system in the claim 11 to 18, wherein, when transmitting element when data processing equipment sends status information, the print cartridge control module keeps the print cartridge identification number that is stored in the data storage cell, the transmission state of the print cartridge that the print cartridge identification number that sends is identified is set to expression and has sent, and the transmission state is stored in the data storage cell.

20. print system according to claim 19, wherein, the print cartridge control module is deleted the print cartridge identification number that the transmission state is set to represent the print cartridge that sent from data storage cell, and the print cartridge identification number of the print cartridge that will newly install stores data storage cell into.

21. according to claim 19 or 20 described print systems, wherein,, memory limitations is set in data storage cell at the print cartridge identification number, and

If when storage print cartridge identification number, the print cartridge identification number is stored and reaches memory limitations and all transmission status indications and all be not set to expression and send, then print cartridge control module error process process.

22. according to any described print system in the claim 11 to 21, wherein:

Print cartridge is stored multiple recording materials; And

Recording materials consumption computing unit calculates in the described multiple recording materials each, and the recording materials amount that will only be used for the image record is stored in data storage cell.

23. according to any described print system in the claim 11 to 22, wherein:

Recording materials are inks; And

Recording materials consumption computing unit is determined used quantity of ink by the printer serial number that sprays is counted.

24. print system according to claim 23, wherein, the quantity of ink that recording materials consumption computing unit will not be used to make printhead can spray ink calculates the part as the ink consumption.

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